Lexington Turns Belief Into 5A Title

By Stan Olenik, Editor-Publisher, The Golf Club

When Lexington golf coach Brandon Smith was asked how his Wildcats would do this year, he knew more than his answer would suggest.

Smith simply said, “We have a chance.”

At The Carolina Country Club, Smith and his Wildcats turned that chance into a championship.

Lexington held off defending champion Dorman and Columbia-area rival River Bluff to win the 15th state championship in school history.

Smith knew after his team’s third-place finish last year that he was leading a determined group of golfers.

“We pretty much had just about everybody back,” Smith said. “We talked about it — we’re good enough to be in that scene right now. We’ll work harder than all those other girls so that we’d have a chance to be here. We have a chance.”

After a season-long tug-of-war among the state’s top three 5A Division I programs, the 36-hole championship was cut to one round after heavy rain washed out Monday’s play. Course crews worked miracles to make the shortened event possible, and the soggy fairways set up a tense finish no team could pull away from.

Down to the Final Hole

Each of the top three teams had their moments. The Cavaliers, Gators, and Wildcats all placed golfers in the top 10.

Dorman’s season-long leader Ava Romansky posted a top-10 score along with River Bluff’s Mingle Huang and Lexington’s Lyles Heritage. A new scoring app kept coaches, fans, and players updated hole-by-hole and set the stage for the final hole to determine the state champion.

In the final group on the course, on their final hole, Dorman sophomore Ac Peake needed a birdie to force a tie, while Lexington senior Giovanna Martusciello needed a par for the win.

Peake’s birdie putt came up short. Martusciello lagged her first putt close and tapped in to clinch the win for the Wildcats — their 15th state title and first since 2020.

“It was just the girls believing,” said Smith. “We peaked at the right time. We won our final three tournaments and carried that confidence with us into the state championship.”

Smith was quick to deflect credit.

“It’s the girls who hit the shots that brought the title back to Lexington,” he said. “We’ve got a good nucleus coming back, but that’s a long way off. Let’s enjoy this one first.”

Dorman coach Laura Mauer praised her team for its four-year run of excellence.

“I’m so proud of the effort our team put in,” Mauer said. “These girls built something special at Dorman.”

Hawkins Makes History with Fourth Straight Individual Title

Individually, Carolina Hawkins of Blythewood etched her name into South Carolina golf history by winning her fourth consecutive 5A medalist title — the first golfer, boy or girl, ever to accomplish that feat in state high school competition.

The future Clemson Tiger surpassed the previous record of three held by Jacob Bridgeman (Chapman) and Jensen Castle (White Knoll).

Despite cool, wet conditions, Hawkins kept her composure to secure a one-shot victory over Julia Gressette of Cane Bay and reflected on her journey.

“I didn’t play my best today, but that’s golf,” she said. “Everyone — even Scotty Scheffler — has down days. You just have to stay thankful.”

Hawkins has been a golfer to watch since her name first appeared on a leaderboard years before she began winning state titles. Once she had two championships under her belt, the idea of becoming the first four-time individual champion became a goal — but never an obsession.

“You’ve got to set your standards high and give it your 110 percent,” Hawkins said. “It’s not just about winning — it’s about feeling good about how you played. Golf’s a sport; it’s not life. You have to be thankful for where you’re at.”

All-State Team

Because of ties, this year’s All-State Team included 10 golfers:
Carolina Hawkins (Blythewood), Julia Gressette (Cane Bay), Ac Peake (Dorman), Mingle Huang (River Bluff), Charli Heaton (River Bluff), Lyles Heritage (Lexington), Lexi Wohlers (Carolina Forest), Ava Kaplan (Wando), Mine Kosonen (Carolina Forest), and Ava Romansky (Dorman).